Tyll left his residence in St. Clair Shores, Michigan on November 22, 1985. He was accompanied by his childhood friend
Brian Ognjan. The two men planned to spend the weekend hunting in northern Michigan. The last unconfirmed sighting of Tyll and Ognjan took place in the Houghton Lake/Mio area of Michigan on the day they vanished. They never arrived at the cabin or purchased their hunting licenses. The black 1980 Ford Bronco they were driving has never been located.

In May 2003, almost eighteen years after Tyll's and Ognjan's disappearances, two brothers were arrested in connection with their cases. Police say that Raymond Wilbur "J.R." Duvall Jr. and Donald Dean "Coco" Duvall killed Ognjan and Tyll on the night they disappeared. Before their arrest the men led a rough existence living off the Michigan woods, shooting game and sleeping in small cabins and trailers. A photograph of Donald posted below this case summary.

Witnesses reported seeing the Duvalls beat Ognjan and Tyll to death outside the Linker's Lounge bar in Mio, and other witnesses who heard the brothers brag about feeding the missing men's bodies to pigs. The informants allegedly did not come forward for so long because they had been threatened by the brothers and were afraid of retribution. Several of them have died since 1985. There is no blood or other physical evidence linking the Duvalls to Tyll's and Ognjan's presumed deaths, and their attorneys said they were being framed and the witnesses were all either lying or mistaken. The star prosecution witness admitted to having had nine alcoholic drinks prior to witnessing Tyll's and Ognjan's murders. The two men were nonetheless convicted of two counts of first-degree murder in October 2003. They were sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.

Tyll was employed as a machinist at the time of his disappearance. Foul play is suspected in his and Ognjan's disappearances due to the circumstances involved. Their cases were the subject of a 2006 book, Darker Than Night, by Tom Henderson.

Above: Donald Duvall

Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
CrimeStoppers Of Michigan
800-831-3111